Does VK always tune down? i think not, I think he approaches it more song to song, just being pragmatic about what kind of texture he wants to create with his instrument. on the other side of the bass world, Anthony Jackson and Pino Palladino have both been known to do the same thing, just to name a couple (who've done pretty well for themselves)
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Double Bass Velvet Garbos double bass strings megathread part I
- Thread starter mic_j
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anyone having problems tuning those 180s?
and what about those ends with no loops or balls?
250$?????????
and what about those ends with no loops or balls?
250$?????????
Leco reis said:anyone having problems tuning those 180s?
and what about those ends with no loops or balls?
250$?????????
Problems? I never had any. After 1-2 weeks break in time, they stayed in tune very well (certainly better than my Olivs).
Leco reis said:anyone having problems tuning those 180s?
and what about those ends with no loops or balls?
250$?????????
Likewise, after a few weeks, the tuning problem disappeared. I'm really happy with them. The ends with no loops or ball ends don't cause any trouble - just follow the installation instructions (i think you can view the instructions at www.lemurmusic.com) . Also the fact that they live twice as long as 'other' strings is important to know when considering the price.
I love my 180's but they have never stopped streching. The streching slowed way down after the first couple of weeks, but mine are always a bit flat after a couple of days.
I also followed the instructions very carefully.
Cheers . . . Jim W.
I also followed the instructions very carefully.
Cheers . . . Jim W.
Okay - Sorry to keep reviving this thread, but here goes:
I've had my Animas for almost 2 months and I'm still getting green stains all over my hands. The only way I can wash this sh*t off is with brillo pads! And even then I can't get all of it off my fingers!
I've looked online for copper stain removers but I don't think my fingers would appreciate an acid bath. Does anyone know what substance will easily clean this crap off my fingers without killing my hands?
Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
I've had my Animas for almost 2 months and I'm still getting green stains all over my hands. The only way I can wash this sh*t off is with brillo pads! And even then I can't get all of it off my fingers!
I've looked online for copper stain removers but I don't think my fingers would appreciate an acid bath. Does anyone know what substance will easily clean this crap off my fingers without killing my hands?
Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,737
- 8,953
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
Hmmm. I'm putting a new set of Anima's on the bass (since I'm getting a new fingerboard and bridge), the other ones were on for at least 2 years. I don't recall EVER having green stains on my fingers after playing. I don't really wipe down the strings too much and my pizz fingers get kinda blackish, but that comes off with soap and water.
I'll keep an eye out, but it may be more a function of personal metabolism than anything else.
I'll keep an eye out, but it may be more a function of personal metabolism than anything else.
Yes, I get green stains on my fingers every time I play on my Animas. So does anyone else who plays my bass. When I used the Compas 360 set, the stains were black. I don't imagine the stains are harmful, and unlike Pete I can just wash the stains off with soap and water (Pete, you try Lava soap, the stuff that mechanics and farmers use?).
I think people's individual pH balances or whatever may have something to do with this. When I took my bass to Jeff Bollbach, he took one look at my fingerboard and said "You, sir, have a very active excretory system" (don't I know it) and then polished the board down with bowling ball (alley?) wax. I have to work very hard to keep my strings and fingerboard clean and slick, washing my hands constantly and drying them fully. In fact, my only issue with the Animas (aside from the fact that the local professor refuses to consider teaching me arco technique until I get rid of them) is that by the end of the set my hands and the strings are so gunked up that I can barely shift without starting a friction fire--they feel rough as sandpaper and I can barely play them. I wipe them down and wash my hands between sets, and they're good as new at the beginning of the next one (only to slowly gum up again over the ensuing hour or so).
I think people's individual pH balances or whatever may have something to do with this. When I took my bass to Jeff Bollbach, he took one look at my fingerboard and said "You, sir, have a very active excretory system" (don't I know it) and then polished the board down with bowling ball (alley?) wax. I have to work very hard to keep my strings and fingerboard clean and slick, washing my hands constantly and drying them fully. In fact, my only issue with the Animas (aside from the fact that the local professor refuses to consider teaching me arco technique until I get rid of them) is that by the end of the set my hands and the strings are so gunked up that I can barely shift without starting a friction fire--they feel rough as sandpaper and I can barely play them. I wipe them down and wash my hands between sets, and they're good as new at the beginning of the next one (only to slowly gum up again over the ensuing hour or so).
Thanks for all the input guys. I went with the Animas and have had them on for a couple of days now. Aside from the fact that they still need to stretch out more, I love them. They really open up the bass. The only thing I'm concerned about though is longevity. How long of a life can I expect out of these things? Also, what's been everyone's experience as far as the best way to clean the strings?
- Sep 14, 2005
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Mesa Boogie Amps, Bag end,Thomastik - Infeld Strings
I dont think there is any comparison. they are two totally different strings. If you want the gut thump and tension feel then the Anima's or if you are playing Jazz then the Garbo's are the better choice.
bostonbass said:
Guys-
So I emailed Velvet and they said that it is "very rare" that green stains would appear on the skin and that it is a ph thing. They recommend cleaning the strings with toothpaste!?
Well at least my bass will smell minty fresh...
So I emailed Velvet and they said that it is "very rare" that green stains would appear on the skin and that it is a ph thing. They recommend cleaning the strings with toothpaste!?
Well at least my bass will smell minty fresh...
Pcocobass said:
Did they elaborate on this technique? Like, should we use an actual toothbrush, or just rub it on with a rag?
And, uh, should we floss the strings, too? Those Anima windings are pretty wide, just begging for gingivitis...
I'd be careful about washing your hands too much. Hospital folk who are always washing tell me that their hands get so dried out from the constant cleaning that their calluses crack, ouch!!
I say take it as a mark of pride the "wearing of the green". I see a Guinness tie in.
PS - Johono5 what's your prof got against the aminas they bow great, much easier that spiros with better tone, IMHO.
I say take it as a mark of pride the "wearing of the green". I see a Guinness tie in.
PS - Johono5 what's your prof got against the aminas they bow great, much easier that spiros with better tone, IMHO.
Tell those hospital folks to moisturize! That's the only way I can get away with washing so frequently, and although they tell me that real men don't eat quiche or use lotion I do both--often while shooting skeet and listening to NASCAR races on my radio.
There are different degrees of "bowing great," if I've learned anything in the past ten years. I think Animas (and Spiros) are perfectly fine for playing scales and long tones, and I've had no trouble using both for section work in an orchestra (although it should be said that I am not an experienced arco player--I've mostly taught myself, until now). But when you want to bust out some insanely fast spiccato stuff, or tear through some of the Beethoven excerpts with both clarity and high volume, or play the Koussevitzky concerto in front of an orchestra, you tend to become a bit more exacting in your equipment requirements. (I mean, we use solo strings to play solos--what's wrong with regular orchestra strings? Just a slight difference in tension and therefore in projection and brightness, and an easier-to-play gauge, that's all--but Gary Karr wouldn't be caught dead concertizing on Flexocors. We go with what's easiest and/or sounds best.)
Whatever the reason, three professionals have played the Animas on my bass--Lawrence Hurst, the bass professor at IU; John Hood, member of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a grad student here who plays with the Atlanta Symphony--and they've all just laughed and said "put on some steel strings made for bowing before you come back here--you can't get anywhere with these." (Incidentally, they all use different strings--Helicores, Original Flatchromes, and Permanents, respectively). My protests are of no avail--"But Dragonetti played on floppy old guts, and Bottesini used silk, and the packaging says these are good for all playing situations!" I pick up their basses and play them and see how easy (or how much easier) it is to whip out the kind of stuff they're trying to teach me, and as long as I'm in their studios I'll learn what they have to teach.
Having said that, strings react differently on different basses, and some people may have great results with the Animas (I had a bass once on which Spiros were the perfect arco string...). But they aren't a great arco string on my bass. They kick total ass as a pizz string (a fact noted by all three above people when they listened to me play) and I'm in hog heaven with them on my bass, but I'm using a different axe (a loaner) for my classical studies right now.
There are different degrees of "bowing great," if I've learned anything in the past ten years. I think Animas (and Spiros) are perfectly fine for playing scales and long tones, and I've had no trouble using both for section work in an orchestra (although it should be said that I am not an experienced arco player--I've mostly taught myself, until now). But when you want to bust out some insanely fast spiccato stuff, or tear through some of the Beethoven excerpts with both clarity and high volume, or play the Koussevitzky concerto in front of an orchestra, you tend to become a bit more exacting in your equipment requirements. (I mean, we use solo strings to play solos--what's wrong with regular orchestra strings? Just a slight difference in tension and therefore in projection and brightness, and an easier-to-play gauge, that's all--but Gary Karr wouldn't be caught dead concertizing on Flexocors. We go with what's easiest and/or sounds best.)
Whatever the reason, three professionals have played the Animas on my bass--Lawrence Hurst, the bass professor at IU; John Hood, member of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a grad student here who plays with the Atlanta Symphony--and they've all just laughed and said "put on some steel strings made for bowing before you come back here--you can't get anywhere with these." (Incidentally, they all use different strings--Helicores, Original Flatchromes, and Permanents, respectively). My protests are of no avail--"But Dragonetti played on floppy old guts, and Bottesini used silk, and the packaging says these are good for all playing situations!" I pick up their basses and play them and see how easy (or how much easier) it is to whip out the kind of stuff they're trying to teach me, and as long as I'm in their studios I'll learn what they have to teach.
Having said that, strings react differently on different basses, and some people may have great results with the Animas (I had a bass once on which Spiros were the perfect arco string...). But they aren't a great arco string on my bass. They kick total ass as a pizz string (a fact noted by all three above people when they listened to me play) and I'm in hog heaven with them on my bass, but I'm using a different axe (a loaner) for my classical studies right now.
Just for the heck of it, try rubbing some rosin on the strings where you're going to bow. I did this on my Labella 7710's (nylon) and now I can bow them. Give it a try before changing your strings.
If it doesn't work, send your animas to me.
If it doesn't work, send your animas to me.
Sorry, dudes, nothing comes between me and my Animas! I'm using a different bass, set up for orchestra playing, that's all...
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